jelly beans with a side of skittles
by SumerianScribe
Summary: With the summer sun sweltering overhead, two teenagers forge a strange and tentative bond, a cash register and several jars of jelly beans bridging the gap between them. Green melts into orange, warmth fades and spreads. — AU. Oneshot, Bolin/Asami.


_A Modern AU, I suppose you could call it. Kind of reminiscent of that old Coffeeshop AU trend, except with a candy shop. Bosami. Read, enjoy, give feedback._

**JELLY BEANS WITH A SIDE OF SKITTLES**

/

* * *

Asami Sato was in a rush. She was always in a rush.

Even so, she couldn't stop herself from pulling up in front of a row of small, somewhat questionable-looking stores with tacky signs and grubby exteriors. She was tired and _hungry_ and the only thing she could think of at the time that was able to help with both of these unfortunate ailments was a sizable chunk of chocolate_. _In that moment, the large rectangular shop sign that simply read '_CANDY_' in tall red letters appeared absolutely enticing. Tugging off her helmet, she hopped off of her moped and stepped into the store.

The early June morning was hot and humid, and she found herself grateful that the tiny shop could at least afford air conditioning. That familiar candy-store-smell flooded Asami's senses, and as her gaze crept around the shop interior, with its bubblegum pink walls and too-bright lights, she silently prayed that the place was more trustworthy than it seemed. Getting food poisoning from some fishy downtown confectionery was not something she would likely put on her wish list. Or something she'd want to explain to her father.

"Hell_ooo_ there!" a cheerful voice called from behind the store counter. A grinning boy in a green sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up tapped his fingers against the cash register. He looked to be maybe one year, two years younger than her. "Can I help you?" he said. He had a nice smile.

Asami stepped further into the store, moving past the crowded shelves filled with jars of assorted sweets. "I'm just looking for some chocolate," she told the boy, adjusting the helmet she had nestled against her armpit.

"Ah! Chocolate, chocolate..." The boy ducked out of her view for a moment before abruptly springing to a standing position and crowing, "Here's some!" In his hands he held a Hershey's milk chocolate bar the length of nearly half Asami's arm.

She laughed as she approached the counter. "That looks good... but it's a _little _bit too big." Asami tapped her chin while the boy ducked behind the counter again. "You don't happen to have any malt balls, do you?" she asked as he emerged again, showing off several more sensibly sized bars of chocolate.

He shook his head and shrugged at the same time. "Nope, sorry! We're a small operation here, and no one's ever wanted malt balls before. Are you a fan?"

"They're my favourite," she admitted. "But that's alright." Asami reached for her leather wallet and smiled. "I'll just go with a chocolate bar."

As Asami began to leave the store a minute later (remembering that she was _always_ in a rush), the boy called out, "I'm Bolin, by the way!"

She smiled, turning her head a little as she pushed open the door she came in from. "My name's Asami. Nice to meet you, Bolin."

/

Asami had green eyes, Bolin noted. He had green eyes too, but hers were different. A lighter shade, and he was certain they would look almost grey under the appropriate lighting. Like feathery soft grass (_the kind you see in cartoons about farms,_ he thought) or maybe a calm sea against a foggy morning sunrise (_the kind you see in photographs but never in person_). They were two different greens, but he couldn't help but entertain the idea that maybe they came from the same blues and yellows. Bolin grinned to himself as he took his time sorting the lime lollipops.

/

Asami was vaguely glad to find the same boy in the same green sweatshirt standing behind the counter the next time she entered the little candy store, a week later. His name came to her lips easily, like she had known it for years. "Hi, Bolin."

He grinned. "Hey, Asami. Back for more?" Bolin wiggled his dark eyebrows. "Just couldn't stay away, could you?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, a small smile tugging on her lips, "that chocolate sure was delicious."

Bolin laughed. It was a funny sound, deep and breathy and _elated_. "Well, this isn't a chocolate factory!" he told her teasingly. "The sign outside says _candy_." He grabbed a jar of peach gummies and tilted it towards her. "Could I interest you in browsing some of our fine wares?"

"Sorry, but I'm kind of in a hurry. Dentist appointment." She couldn't afford to hang around and peruse the wide range of small sugary creations crammed in various containers around the shop, as much as she was nearly tempted to. "Could I just have some gum, please?"

"For you, anything." Humming cheerily, he took her cash and placed it into the register, sliding her package of minty chewing gum across the counter. "Happy doin' business with you!"

"Thanks, Bolin," she said, taking her purchase and smiling.

"Maybe next time, when you're not busy," he told her hopefully, as she headed for the exit, "we could hang out for a bit. I could show you the awesome back room!"

"Maybe," she agreed absentmindedly. Her mind was already focused on the dull ache of her cavity.

/

Bolin sprang up and nearly hit his head on the shelf he was organizing when Asami entered the store for the third time that summer. He would love it if she became a regular customer. They didn't get many of those. "How'd that dentist appointment go?" he asked, steadying a wobbling display of lollipops.

Asami smiled, probably surprised that he had remembered. "I am now officially cavity-free." She ran a hand through her hair, looking, for a moment, a little sheepish. "That said, I'm here to buy more candy."

"That's perfect," he said smugly. "Be_cause_..." Bolin sauntered behind the counter, crouching to look through the diverse selection before straightening and slapping a red cardboard box against the countertop. "Ta-da," he sang. Inside were rows of neatly stacked packets of Maltesers. "Hmm... I vaguely recall you mentioning something about how malt balls are your favourite... Uh huh, yeah, you definitely mentioned it." A lopsided grin stretched across his lips.

"Bolin!" Her face split into a smile. "You didn't...?"

"You'd better not have been kidding when you said you liked them," he warned, a teasing light in his eyes, "because I specially asked the boss to order these, and nobody else I know eats them. So _someone's _gotta buy them, or I'm in serious trouble!"

"I'll buy your entire stock if I have to," she promised him, laughing. "Wow, Bolin, you didn't have to do this."

His eyes traced her bright (and yet still graceful) smile. "Yes," he said, "I did."

/

She wasn't sure why she kept stopping in front of that little candy store with the tacky sign. Even as fresh worry etched itself into her face, Asami found herself surrounded again by that distinct candy fragrance.

Bolin looked up from the comic book he was reading. "Asami, hi!"

Dimly registering that she kind of liked how his eyes lit up when he said her name, she walked up to the boy in the green sweatshirt as a slight smile formed on her lips of its own accord. "Hey, Bolin."

"What'll you have?" He put down his comic and smirked. "You know, considering how often you come here, you'd better be careful not to get another cavity." After a brief pause, Bolin blushed. "Not that I don't want you to come here a lot! I mean, you're quickly becoming our best customer."

Asami gave a small laugh. "All right, I'll keep all that in mind." She reached up to brush some hair away from her eyes, although she was slightly embarrassed by the little beads of sweat that had gathered at her hairline. It was a hot day—unsurprising, as they were midway through June. "Just get me a pack of Maltesers today, Bolin."

"Coming right up!" he chirped. As he popped open the ancient cash register and expertly made change out of her five-dollar bill, his brow furrowed and his smile faded a little. "Hey, Asami," he said, his voice losing some of its usual dynamic tones, "is something wrong? You seem a little out of it."

She shrugged as she accepted her change. "It's nothing. Well, just my dad. I'm worried about him," she confessed hesitantly. "He's seeming really stressed out lately and he's shutting himself up in his office even more than usual."

Bolin pursed his lips, no doubt remembering that Asami's father was the founder of Future Industries, one of the biggest automotive manufacturers in the world. Bolin had been very comically shocked when she told him about it a week ago.

"Don't think too hard on it," he finally suggested. "Running a huge operation like Future Industries must be really hard work. He's probably just stressed out by some business thing." He poked her playfully in the shoulder. "C'mon, you're gonna get wrinkles from always fretting about everybody else!"

Asami let out another laugh. "You're probably right."

He grinned, leaning one arm against the counter. "Of course I am! Always trust in good ol' Bolin."

"Don't worry," she told him. "I already do."

/

As June drew to a close, Bolin found himself surprised that a third of summer break was already gone forever. He had spent almost every day at the candy store. "I've been working here since last summer," he told Asami. "I need all the financial help I can get if I want to afford college."

She leaned against the counter, tearing open a box of Smarties. "Huh. College. I can't believe I'm starting my final year of high school soon." Asami sighed. "I don't even want to think about university applications."

"Tell me about it," Bolin said. "...No, seriously, tell me about it." He was only about to begin tenth grade, and couldn't really relate, but he wanted to hear about her problems and anxieties. He wanted to _know_ her.

"Sorry, Bolin." She straightened. "I actually got to get going. Maybe we can talk next time."

"Yeah," he said. "Maybe." It was hard to hold a real conversation when she only dropped in for three minutes at a time. Somehow, though, there was a kind of poetic appeal in the whole situation, too. Bolin broke into a slow smile.

/

For the first time, Asami pushed open the creaky door to find that the store was empty. "Bolin?" she called, walking up to the unmanned cash register.

"Oh! Asami!" came a somewhat muffled voice. The door behind the shop counter burst open to reveal a smiling Bolin. "Hey there!" he greeted her enthusiastically. "Sorry, I was just hanging out in the back room." His smile brightened even further, if that were possible. "Come on, I'll give you the grand tour... if you have the time?"

Asami fiddled with the sleeves of her dark jacket. She was due at the Future Industries offices in one hour. Nevertheless...

"Oh, all right," she said with a smile, her hesitation melting at Bolin's pleading gaze.

"Awesome!" Bolin grinned and opened the back door, waving for her to follow him. Asami stepped behind the shop counter for the first time, smiling at Bolin's enthusiasm as he led her into the back room.

Expecting some kind of storage closet full of more sweets, she was surprised to find only a few cupboards, boxes and shelves pushed against the wall. At the center of the tiny room was a leather punching bag. Shoved in the corner was a beanbag chair with a green acoustic guitar lying against it. "Nice place to do inventory," Asami commented.

Bolin elbowed her lightly. "Pretty cool for a storage closet, huh?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "Except now I wonder how much actual work you really do in this store."

He raised his hands defensively. "Hey, it's not my fault we don't get a whole lot of customers."

Asami smiled, before plopping down on the beanbag chair and picking up the guitar. She raised a brow. "Interesting colour choice."

"I guess I just like green."

"I can tell." She eyed his now-familiar sweatshirt.

"So, do you play?" he asked, looking at her hopefully.

Asami shook her head, before her gaze drifted to the punching bag. A smirk entered her lips. "But I _have _used one of _those_ before." She had had her fair share of experience in various martial arts.

"Really now?" His grin widened and turned more playful as he picked up a pair of (green) boxing gloves. He held them out towards her. "Why don't you show me what you got, Miss Sato?" Bolin's tone was teasing, challenging.

Asami sighed, standing up and gently putting down his guitar. "Sorry, Bolin. I'd love to hang out, but..."

"Yeah," he said, his face quickly falling into a pout. "I know the drill. You're in a rush, right?"

Asami Sato was always in a rush. She prodded the gloves he was still holding on her way out. "Throw some good punches for me, okay?"

Bolin's grin returned.

/

Asami was a choosy buyer, Bolin observed. She wouldn't purchase any of the many sweets they had stuffed into jars, for fear of anything not individually wrapped being _unsanitary_. He had to laugh a little at that. She had been sucked into feeling safe with brand names and logos and pretty packaging... yet she was a regular visitor of his little nameless candy store. It was funny, Bolin thought.

"Come on, Asami," he said. "These gummy worms are totally safe and un-germy and full of gummy goodness. All—you know, all of our products are."

She poked him in the chest. "Liar. I bet some of these are expired... at _least_."

He nudged her. "What? That's just... That's just gossip! _Crazy_ talk is comin' outta your mouth right now." Okay, so maybe a few products had been kept for a _little_ longer than advisable. But as an employee, Bolin had a duty—and loyalty—to the store!

"What do you know, Bolin?" Asami placed a hand on his shoulder, her gaze piercing but subtly teasing. "C'mon, spill it."

Bolin grinned sheepishly. "...You might wanna stay away from the gumballs... And the root beer flavoured lollipops have probably been there years before I started working here... And maybe the Tootsie Rolls aren't so safe. But everything else is fine, I swear!" He nudged her again, this time his words much more honest. "Cross my heart. I wouldn't let you get sick!"

Asami let out a laugh. "Yeah. I know, Bo."

/

Although she never had the time to stay for long, Asami found that the boy in the green sweatshirt was very easy to talk to. Something about the earnestness he always exuded when asking about her life, coupled with his own openness, made Asami feel strangely comfortable with him. She learned that Bolin had lost both his parents when he was six and that his older brother Mako was the most important person in his life. In return, Asami found herself talking about her mother's death and the emptiness she had left in their house. Bolin told her that he liked sports and martial arts but the one thing he really wanted to pursue was his music. Asami confessed that she didn't really know where she wanted her life to be heading, that she loved cars and business and all that but she didn't know if she wanted to orient her life around Future Industries. She learned that Bolin liked noodles and that he didn't have (or want) a cell phone or his own computer but that his guitar and awesome beanbag chair were his most prized possessions. She talked to him a little about her unofficial internship at Future Industries. He asked her a lot of questions, and his emerald eyes shone. Their conversations took place over several visits, several purchases of malt balls and chocolate bars and gummy bears. By August, her purse was filled with empty Maltesers packets and colourful candy wrappers.

/

"Pabu, this is Asami. Asami, this is my good friend Pabu."

Pabu was Bolin's pet ferret who was technically not allowed in the store. He jumped from Bolin's shoulder to Asami's directly following his introduction. Asami laughed and rubbed his tiny ears. "Very nice to meet you, Pabu."

/

She was beginning to wonder if Bolin was the only employee at this store. Or if this boss of Bolin's was imaginary or something.

"Oh, he's real," Bolin promised. "He just doesn't show up here much. He's this old guy named Sokka. Kind of eccentric." Pride flashed across his features as he moved his fingers to a thin black cord hanging around his neck. "He even trusted me with the keys to this place."

"I'm surprised you didn't loot this candy mine," Asami said teasingly. In truth, she wasn't really surprised. It was _Bolin_.

He smiled, like he knew what she was thinking. "Oh, yeah? Let me give you a taste of my power." He grabbed something from behind the counter and tossed it to her. It was a small plastic bag, like the kind used for carrying fruit in grocery stores. "Here you go," Bolin said, grinning devilishly. "On the house."

He had given her a bag of Hershey's Kisses. Asami almost blushed.

/

Asami placed something on the counter that Bolin did not know the price of, for once. His fingers hovered hesitantly over the cash register as he stared at the delicate-looking cupcake. "Do we even sell that?"

She grinned. "No. But the bakery across the block does. Happy birthday, Bolin!"

His eyebrows quirked upwards. "It's not my birthday."

"I know," she said. There was a mischievous shimmer in her eyes.

He shrugged and took the cupcake. It was topped with bright green icing.

/

She asked him to play for her, once. His hands moved over the guitar strings with a sureness that just seemed to be a permanent part of him, like his infectious smile or fondness for green. Asami found it interesting how the guy was steady as a rock and yet was able to retain a childlike excitability.

He sang softly as he played. His singing voice wasn't anything record-deal-spectacular, maybe, but it was husky and confident and honest. It was _hopeful._ That was the word.

She told him he was amazing.

/

His eyebrows knit together as he washed out old jars that used to contain legions of gummy bears, once upon a long time ago. He realized it had been a while since Asami had come in. Bolin had to remind himself that Asami Sato was always busy, always in a rush. He shouldn't let her absence trouble him.

As he dried the insides of the jars, his thoughts lingered—again—on the green of her eyes.

/

It was later than when she usually visited Bolin's store, almost evening. Asami hadn't entered the shop for more than a week. But even as her life fell apart around her, she found herself inhaling the scent of candy and being face-to-face with the boy in the green sweatshirt.

"Asami! I haven't seen you in—" The bright smile immediately dropped from his lips when he saw her expression. Asami wished it hadn't. Bolin had a nice smile, and the sight of it had made her feel just a little warmer. But then the moment was gone, and a small shiver shuddered in her chest.

"They took him," she said, almost numbly. There was an odd steadiness present in her voice. "They took my father last night."

Bolin's eyes widened. "Who did, Asami?"

"The police. They said he did all sorts of horrible things. I didn't believe any of it all week." Shoulders suddenly shaking, she buried her head in her hands. Her dark hair fell in front of her face like a black curtain. "He's been hiding everything, all of it, from me, and I..."

Asami knew she wasn't making much sense. Bolin didn't try to say anything to comfort her. She dully registered the sound of his footsteps, and then suddenly he was in front of her, silently wrapping his warm arms around her shivering body. He was shorter than her, she realized. She had never noticed.

/

Her face was pressed against his shoulder, but as far as he knew, she didn't let fall a single tear.

/

The house had always been big. Too big for just two lonely inhabitants. And certainly too big for just one.

It was late evening. The setting sun painted faint orange streaks across the sky. The noises of the still-busy roads soothed her. Asami's heart beat in time with the the low, familiar thrumming of her Future Industries automobile engine.

She cruised down a street she grew to know well. Despite the late hour, a sign on the familiar creaky door still read _OPEN_. Asami left her car in a strip mall parking lot a block away.

The candy shop was empty when she entered. Before she could call his name however, the door to the back room was pushed open, and there he was. Bolin looked surprised to see her, but pleased too.

"Hi." She managed a slight smile.

"Hey, Asami." He sounded as cheerful as ever, but his voice was quiet. It melted into the evening atmosphere. Everything seemed more low-key at this time of the day, Asami realized.

"I didn't think you'd still be here."

"You know me. I practically live here," Bolin said, his omnipresent smile growing playful. "Actually, I was about to close up soon. But since you seem to have enough time to seek me out"—he smirked and cocked his eyebrows, eliciting a small laugh from her—"let me show you something cool."

"Okay," she agreed. She followed him into the back room. It was almost exactly the same as the last time she had seen it—same punching bag, same beanbag chair. Only his guitar was missing, and she realized that the instrument was slung around Bolin's back.

He led her to a set of rickety-looking plastic stairs. Bolin pushed open a ceiling hatch and she followed him outside to the flat roof.

They stood at the edge together, where they had a perfect view overlooking the bustling downtown street. Mostly, though, Asami could see the sky, the fading streaks of sunlight and the twinkle of the night's first stars.

"Nice view, huh?" Bolin said. She knew he wasn't talking about the street.

"Pretty awesome," she agreed.

"Yeah," he sighed contentedly. "Sometimes I like to come up here with a can of Sprite and just watch the sky until the sun's completely set."

"That sounds... nice."

Bolin smirked at her. "Hey, is that too _simple_ for you or something?"

She let out a laugh. "No, I just mean that I never really have time to do stuff like that. Watch the stars come out and just sit and drink soda." Asami pursed her lips. "I mean, I guess I've always been more immersed in technology than nature anyways. And..."

"You're always in a rush," he finished for her.

Asami nodded, her gaze flickering to the side. "I do like a busy lifestyle."

He was quiet for a long time. As the cool night breeze played with the thick locks of her hair, she contented herself with watching the moonlight reflect off of Bolin's green eyes. At night, silences were peaceful, not awkward.

Finally, she sighed. "Things are all so crazy and messed up right now," she murmured. "And then I have to go off to school soon. Figure out what I'm going to do for college, as though everything's still _normal._"

She heard Bolin hesitate, as though he was trying to avoid the subject of her father, trying to keep her mind off of the whole mess. "Is your dad back yet?" he asked softly.

Asami shook her head. "Still in questioning." She couldn't seem to form the words _in jail._ "I don't know how I can face him when he comes back home. It could be forever before a court trial gets started up."

Another silence stretched between them, bridging the gap between their two bodies. Without a word, Bolin reached out and took her hand in his.

Before they left, he slipped her a Maltesers bag and a can of Pepsi. "Sometimes," he told her, smiling lopsidedly, "it's good to take a break."

/

They bantered in the candy store, a counter and a few jars of Maynards standing between them, just like always. But a sad kind of loneliness (_what loneliness _isn't _sad? _he wondered idly) draped itself around her shoulders. His own smile never faltered, and her calm never shattered. Even as their lives changed around them. _Different greens_, he remembered, almost wistfully, _from the same blues and yellows._

/

Asami Sato was always in a rush, except not so much anymore.

Life seemed to slow down as the summer heat became not so sweltering, as the last month off from school slowly slipped away, and as Bolin's infectious laughter and the smell of chocolate and gummy bears grew into something ordinary, something that seemed like it was always a part of her. The emptiness in her house seemed like it was always a part of her, too.

One day, as she slid her newly purchased candy—jelly beans with a side of skittles—into her purse, and as she turned to hurry away like she almost always did, Bolin reached out and grabbed her arm. It was the first time he really tried to stop her. "Hey," he said. He had a nice smile, she remembered. "Why don't you stay a while?"

Asami found herself smiling back at him, because she was Asami Sato and she was always in a rush, except not so much anymore. After all, she had found a pretty good reason to stick around.

/

* * *

_end._


End file.
